Although, the Federal government is likely to limit the number of immigrants this year too to 5,000, the goal of Manitoba is to allow 5,500 new immigrants under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program this year, Howard added.
The matter is being discussed with Canada government to see possibility of any increase in the annual immigration limits for Manitoba, Howard asserted.
In the year 2010, the Federal government issued 4,600 certificates to Manitoba for bringing immigrants to this province under the PNP (Provincial Nominee Program) and the numbers were increased to 5000 only after the matter was raised by the province for increasing these limits.
The numbers were increased after constructive discussions with Canada immigration minister Jason Kenney, stated Howard.
It may be noted that while several Canadian provinces including Manitoba, Alberta, B.C. and Quebec had been successful in roping in increased number of new immigrants possessing high qualifications and skills in the last couple of years, Ontario seems to have been losing its position of being a mecca for newcomers.
This is despite the fact that Ottawa had been responsible behind setting up of PNPs for enabling other Canadian provinces to attract the best immigrant workforce in accordance with the skills in great demand in their respective provinces.
Meanwhile, it’s yet to be ascertained whether the target of attracting 5,500 immigrants under the PNP is reached by Manitoba or not. It will take a couple of months to get a clear picture since this is dependent on the performance of provincial nominee programs in other Canadian provinces, Howard maintained.
Ottawa knows about the need for increasing the immigration levels in Manitoba under the PNP in order to keep the population of the province growing. Moreover, the nominee program has been quite successful in Manitoba, she clarified.
The population of Manitoba registered an increase of 16,227 in the last one year, figures for the month of October 2010 maintain and the immigration constitutes a substantial share of this rise in the province’s population.